Everything packed...... 10 30 pm..... Just about to catch some sleep in the lab ..... People talk colleague out of it, scaring her with facts.... "Do you know how far it is? Its 50 kms from here? 100 kims to and fro! In one day, by cycle?!"..... I get pissed.... She is still in half mind to come..... But I finally call the trek off.... Or so the others thought....
Next day, 5 am, I start off from NCBS alone, with only 2.8 litres of water, and 1 litre of Gatorade, as fluids. I knew I'd need more, but planned to get them on the way.... It was still dark.... Apart from a few trucks that zoomed across, the six lane road was completely empty.... The air damp with yesternite's rains...... I tread slowly, due to lack of light and pools of water on the road at some places..... I go on cycling for an hour like this.... dawn breaks.... the clouds at the eastern horizon get a red tinge.
I cycle a bit further..... I get cramps in my leg..... I halt for a break..... Used a cramp relieving spray,,,,, Im contemplating whether i can do it..... "If i get cramps this early on the trek, I am defintely not going to make it"....... I do a routine check on all my belongings..... I figure I've lost my wallet...... I begin to feel that things arent goiung well.... Half mind, or rather 3/4th mind of heading back......
Talk to myself..... "C'mon boy, don chicken out! Its all still do-able.... Nothing has happened that will prevent u from finishing the trek (I had some spare cash distributed elsewhere, apart from my wallet). Go ahead! At least to Devanhalli (which is around halfway) and then decide..... I go ahead....... Amazing road.....
I cycle ahead..... I reach Devanahalli with full spirit..... Milestone reads 'Nandi 22 km'...... "When i've come this far, why not all the way?".... Little bouts of stopping for buying fluid food (bottled mango juice a.k.a maaza), water and also air for the tyres....... Long and tiring period of cycling, when the summer sun is roasting me..... At last the foot of the hill..... 8 kms to the top, through the winding roads.... Cant pedal uphill, pushing the cycle instead...... The heat is tiring..... no cloud cover at all.... Reach the top around 12 noon..... Im tired, yet happy about myself....... I overhear some ppl talking about 'the guy who came here by cycle'...... I feel proud too!
Girlfriend calls...... blasts me for half an hour for doing this..... 12:30....... I scan around the hillscape..... The view didnt live upto my expectations...... Some rest and 1 litre of mango juice(my lunch) later, i head to take my cycle...... Someone has let the air out of my rear tyre..... The pride felt a while ago is now lost, as i see the bigger scheme..... Someone offers to fill air for a price of Rs.10.... I have twenty bucks with me..... I have no choice however........ I buy the expensive hill air for my tyres.......
The descent delayed due to the incident, I head down at good speed....... Amazing hairpin bends....... Finally some cloud cover as well..... Enjoying the air hitting my face...... Plonk!....... Scrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeech........ My cycle is skidding down the slope..... hairpin a little ahead..... I see metal under the tyre rubbinng on the road....... Still struggliong to slow down...... "Has my tyre come off? And is that metal underneath, the wheel rim?"...... "Will i have to push the cycle all the way back?"...... I somehow manage to stop without falling after around a 30m skid.... I see that my mudguard is the metal that's under my tyre.... But how did the mudguard get under my tyre?..... Probably, the mudgard fell off, onto the ground, however still connected at the sides, then dragged by the tyre up, and rammed in the region where the breakes and stuff are..... I try pulling the mudguard out..... Stuck hard... Not coming out.....
Contrary to Melchizedek in The Alchemist, I feel "If u really want to do something with full determination, the whole world conspires against u achieving it"
All i need is a spanner to loosen the nuts holding the mudguard and ease it out...... "why the !#$@ dint i get my toolkit?"....... I try stoppin vehicles goin by....... Most dont bother to notice (After all why would anyone wanna be bothered on a picnic)...... A few stopped, but either dint have their toolkit, or dint have the right spanner..... I lose time..... I lose hope...... "I cant even drag it in this state!"...... I still try nudging the mudguard out....... Slow progress....... I've given up on tryin to stop vehicles...... Anyway, i use my brains instead of my muscles, and make slow progress..... Meanwhile, a coupla guys stop over and offer help..... They have the spanner i need.... they help me out....... Mudguard removed and chucked..... back brakes non-functional..... I thank them, and all of us are back on our own ways........... Amazing hairpins......... at last the foot of the hill.......
The guys who helped me out, triumphantly holdin the mudguardA tiresome and uneventful, yet semi-scenic journey upto devanhalli......... I discover that the air in my rear tyre is very low, but not dangerously low........ I decide that i can manage it till the end....... I go ahead..... Empty my 10 remaining bucks on tea at multiple points on the way..... Now have absolutely zero cash on me...... I still cycle ahead.... cycling gets harder and harder.... I feel a repeated bump when im cycling..... I stop.... i see that the air has gone real low, and theres a wheelbend...... Around 20 kms more to go......... I push it on the level roads and the ups..... cycling on the downs....... At last reach the lab at 8pm with a badly disfigured rear wheel........ toatally exhausted....... but extremely happy.....
Moral of the story: The most expensive way to get to Nandi from bangalore is by cycle. Well, i spent around Rs.500 (excluding wat i lost w my wallet) for food, electrolytes, water and repairs.
On a more serious note: "If u really want to do something with full determination, the whole world conspires against u achieving it". But, if you are still determined enough, you can still achieve it!
Current mood: Bugged by reality
Currently listening to: It's not over - Daughtry
2 comments:
Hi sudhir,
After the makalidurga cycling, while climbing the hill, i lost my slippers :) . it was very rocky and thorny.
So.. couldn't roam around the fort properly. But i heard from the locals that the fort spans a big area. If possible take some local along with you, or else you can just roam around till you have the time.
All the best for your cyling !!
--Guru
Though i've gone to a few more places, I didn't update my blog (due to laziness ;) ). I have been to ramanagara by cycle also. Right now, I'm in Singapore doing my masters. Here I've been to the round island cycling (150kms in a day). Some of my friends(who were with me in the Chennai cycling too) are planning a 5 day cycling around coorg (Tour de Coorg) on Aug 15. If things work out fine here, I'm planning to join them. If you are interested, let me know. I'll give you their contact details.
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